DribblesOne shots
by WendyHamlet
Summary: Just a bunch of ideas/scenes I thought of that I felt like writing, some may contain more adult material, but nothing too explicit ships include: NaLu, Gruvia, GaLe, Jerza, and sometimes Mirlaxus, Basically just somewhere to vent all my pent up feels and love for these characters and their interactions with each other, feel free to let me know what you'd like to see next!
1. NaLu: The Right Time

**The Right Time.**

"Gray! Hey! Wait up!"

The ice wizard sighed and paused, turning to face his salmon-haired friend as he slid to a stop and then rested his hands on his knees, slightly out of breath from running. "Whattaya want, Natsu? I've got a job to get to."

Natsu took a deep breath and straightened up, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. "Uh...so you know stuff about girls, right?"

Gray blinked, completely taken off guard. "What?"

Natsu fiddled with the edge of his scarf, avoiding eye contact with Gray. "I mean...you've had girlfriends before, so you've gotta know about girls a little."

Gray scratched his head. "Uh...yeah I guess. Look, Natsu, what's this about? Since when do you ask my advice on anything? Let alone girls."

Natsu became defensive. "Hey, I wouldn't be asking unless I really needed help! And besides, you're the only one I feel like talking to about this stuff. Who else am I supposed to ask, anyway? Gramps?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Calm down, you've got a point I suppose. So what do you wanna know about girls?"

Natsu brightened up. "How do you do that dating thing?"

Gray sighed and rubbed his forehead, glancing down at the job request in his hand before stuffing it in his pocket and motioning for Natsu to follow him. "Come on, let's go find somewhere to eat, this is going to take a while…"

As Natsu and Gray walked back toward the Guildhall, Natsu mentally ran over all that Gray had told him. "So...girls like flowers and chocolate?"

Gray nodded. "And make sure to open doors for 'em and stuff, try and be polite and as much of a gentleman as you can, they love that sort of thing."

"So what do ya do after the date's over?"

Gray shrugged. "That depends on how long you've been dating."

Natsu glanced over at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well...say you've been dating for a little while, you might get back from your date and hang out at their place for a little while, or if it's been just a few dates you could drop her off at her home and kiss her goodnight."

Natsu blinked. "Kiss her after the date?"

"Not on the first date, you've gotta wait and see if she likes you first. After a few dates, when the time is right, that's when you can kiss her."

Natsu scratched his head. "How do you know if the time is right?"

Gray shrugged. "You just know."

Natsu rubbed his temple. "Agh, my brain hurts, dating is complicated."

Gray smirked. "Yeah, but it's not so bad."

"What about after you kiss her? What do you do then?"

"Well, if it's the first time you've kissed her, you just do it then say goodnight and go home."

"And what if you've been dating for a while and 've already kissed?"

Gray coughed, suddenly realizing that they were treading into awkward territory. "Uh...then if the time's right you might go inside with her…"

"And then what?"

_Damn, how clueless is he?_ Gray thought, trying to think of a way to skirt around the current topic. "Then, uh...see where things go…"

Natsu frowned slightly. "I don't get it."

Gray sighed, exasperated. "If it's the right time then you might...you know." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Natsu stared at him blankly, dark eyes wide and innocent. "No I don't know, that's why I'm asking you, moron."

Gray shook his head. "You're hopeless, didn't Igneel ever tell you about what happens when two people love each other?"

"Yeah, he said they get married and have babies, so? What has that got to do with dating?"

Gray suddenly realized that maybe Natsu had never been given "the talk", he was only a kid when Igneel left after all, and even though it was hard to believe that a teenage boy wouldn't know about..._that_, if there was one person who would be completely oblivious to something like that, it would be Natsu.

"Uh...did Igneel ever explain where babies come from?" He asked hesitantly.

Natsu shook his head. "He said he would when I was older. Why? Does that have something to do with what happens after you've been dating someone for a while?"

Gray stopped walking. There was no way in _hell_ he was going to be the one to give Natsu the birds and the bees speech, there were some boundaries he wouldn't cross. "Uh...listen, why don't you ask Gildarts about this? Since Igneel's not here to tell you, I'm sure he won't mind talking to you about it." He pulled the job request form out of his pocket. "Besides, I've got this job I've gotta go do…"

Natsu nodded. "Okay, I'll ask him about it."

Gray waved as he turned and started back down the road. "Alright, see ya later."

"Hey, Gray!"

He paused and glanced back. "Yeah?"

Natsu had his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. "Thanks."

Gray smirked, then waved. "Yeah, anytime."

* * *

><p>It had been several years since he'd had that conversation with Gray, but Natsu remembered every bit of it, silently thanking his dark haired friend for the advice he'd given him on girls and dating as he pressed his lips against those of the girl he loved.<p>

Her blonde hair shimmered like gold as he pulled out the ribbon that had been holding it all up, letting the soft locks fall down around her shoulders.

"I like you hair when it's down." He said, brushing his fingers through the silky strands.

Lucy smiled and then laid her head on Natsu's chest. "You should've told me earlier, I would have worn it down more often."

Natsu shrugged, still playing with her hair gently. "Well now you know."

They fell silent, each content to just be in the other's company. They were currently in her home, Lucy sprawled on top of Natsu who was lying on the couch.

Candles flickered all around the room, dimly illuminating them in a warm glow. They'd been a surprise from Natsu, to celebrate their one year anniversary as a couple, figures a romantic gesture from him would involve fire in some way. He'd even asked Mira to cook a dinner for him and Lucy, which she -all too willingly- agreed to, they'd eaten by the candlelight on a blanket on the floor and then migrated to the couch for snuggles.

"This was really nice, Natsu." Lucy said quietly, her finger tracing the design on his shirt.

"I'm glad you liked it...I wanted to do something special for our anniversary."

She smiled. "It's perfect, thank you...it's kind of weird to think we've been dating for a whole year."

He shifted slightly, settling her into a more comfortable position in his arms. "Weird how?"

"Oh I didn't really mean weird, I just…" She trailed off.

"Something wrong, Lucy?" He asked, gently rubbing her back.

"I love you, Natsu."

He froze. Her voice had been a soft whisper, the words coming out in a breath. Even though they'd been dating for a year, neither one of them had ever said those three words. They both knew how they felt, it had always just gone unspoken, a mutual understanding that didn't need to be said. He hadn't thought it mattered that they'd never actually said it, but hearing her say it aloud…

"Natsu?" She said hesitantly, her voice apprehensive. She pushed herself up so she could look him in the eye.

His brow was slightly furrowed, his eyes flickering with different emotions.

Lucy suddenly grew fearful, should she have said that? What if it wasn't the right time? "I...I- its...well- you…"

"Lucy?"

She stopped stammering and met his gaze, his eyes suddenly focused and full of amusement. "Y-yes?"

He reached up and held her face in his hands, smooshing her cheeks together slightly as he grinned. "Think you could stop talking long enough for me to say, I love you too?" Her eyes lit up, and the sight made his heart soar.

"You do?" She said breathlessly.

He released her face and chuckled. "I just said I do, didn't I, weirdo?"

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "You're the weirdo."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Fine, we'll both be weirdos." He pulled her head back slightly so he could place his lips over hers.

She ran her fingers through his hair as their lips parted and tongues came into play, bringing up the heat of their kisses.

Their make-out session was put on hold as Lucy straightened up. She looked down at Natsu, her cheeks flushed. He was looking back up at her with wide eyes, his own cheeks tinged pink. She hesitated, then pulled her shirt off over her head.

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "Lucy…"

She took his hands and placed them on the curve of her waist, his calloused palms felt pleasantly rough against her soft skin, his hands alive with that warmth that was always present, as if an ever burning fire lived just under his skin.

"I...I'm ready." She said quietly, knowing in her heart she was telling the truth. She was ready to take their relationship to the next level.

He frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, his expression was careful. "Are...are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure." And to prove it, she bent back down and kissed him with more passion and fervor than she ever had before.

That was all the invitation he needed, and soon his hands were roaming over her smooth skin, his lips and tongue drawing whimpers of pleasure from her lips.

Sensible thought had flown from both their brains, their bodies and minds driven by pure passion and instinct. Somehow they eventually ended up on Lucy's bed, leaving a trail of clothes behind.

Natsu's heart was beating a million times per second, partially due to the adrenaline and chemicals racing through his blood, and partially because he was terrified. He'd never done this before, and if it hadn't been for Gildarts lengthy -and overly detailed- conversation years ago, he would've been even more scared. He figured he knew a pretty fair amount about this sort of thing now, but even with the knowledge, he felt inadequate from lack of experience.

But then he looked into Lucy's eyes, dark and hooded with passion, her lips parted and full, waiting to be kissed, her hands roaming over his body eagerly, and as he looked at her, the fears flew from his mind.

This beautiful, amazing girl had no doubts that this is what she wanted, that _he _was what she wanted. She loved him, and he loved her, he didn't need experience to make her happy, she was already happy.

He ducked his head to the curve of her neck and placed several soft kisses against her skin before dragging his tongue over the race of her pulse.

She gasped, winding her fingers into his hair as she arched into his touch, her legs pressing against his hips.

He hesitated for a moment, then closed the distance between them. A low groan dragging from his chest as a fresh wave of intoxicating chemicals flooded his brain and set his blood on fire.

Lucy let out a muffled whimper, and her hands suddenly tightened in his hair.

Natsu could barely drag his mind back to the surface of the hormone induced stupor he'd fallen under long enough to realize something was wrong.

He lifted his head from her neck, anxiety suddenly driving most of the stupor away. "Lucy? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice was low and husky still, but tinged with concern.

She was biting her lip, her brow furrowed as her eyes shone with tears.

Realization suddenly hit Natsu, and part of the conversation with Gildarts came rushing back to him.

"_You've gotta be careful though, it can be pretty painful for girls when they do it for the first time, so if you're not gentle it could really hurt them."_

The anxiety doubled, and he suddenly felt panicked. He had no idea this was Lucy's first time, he'd known she'd had other boyfriends before him, and as much as he hated to think about it, he'd assumed she'd already had her first time with someone else.

"Lucy I'm so sorry, I-I've never done this before and I assumed you had and I didn't know you hadn't and I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so so sorry." He tried to move back, but was halted suddenly as her legs wrapped around his hips, keeping him in place.

"Don't...move…" She gasped out, voice tight.

He frowned. "But...you're in pain, I don't want to hurt you anymore, I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath. "Stop saying you're sorry, I said I was ready and I am."

"But…"

She smiled slightly. "It's not so bad now. Natsu...I wanted my first time to be special, to be with the person I love...please?"

He hesitated, then slowly slid his hands into hers, lacing their fingers together and holding onto them tightly, steadying her trembling hands with a calm reassurance. "Trust me?"

She nodded. "Always."

He placed a soft kiss against her lips and whispered. "I promise to be gentle...this time." The little growl he added at the end of his sentence sent little shivers up and down Lucy's spine.

And he was gentle. It was sweet and wonderful, both of them so full of love for the other that the act had been so much more than something purely physical.

As Lucy lay curled up in his strong arms, listening to the beat of his heart and the gentle sound of his breathing, she couldn't help but smile, beaming with the joy she felt in her heart.

"What are you grinning about?" Natsu asked drowsily.

"Hmm? Oh, just...thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"What we just did."

He chuckled. "That was pretty awesome."

She rolled her eyes. "Typical, summarizing something so important and wonderful into something 'awesome', honestly I don't even know what I expected."

Natsu closed his eyes and slid his arms more securely around her. "Well it was awesome." There was silence for a moment, then he added. "I...I'm glad it was you."

"What do you mean?"

"My first time, I'm glad it was with you."

"Oh...me too, with you I mean."

He chuckled again and kissed the end of her nose. "Let's get some sleep."

She snuggled against him and rested her head against his chest. "Okay, in the morning we can go look for a job to do."

"Or we could sleep in and try that again after breakfast."

She smacked him lightly, but couldn't help giggling. "Oh hush, is that all you're going to want to do now?"

He shrugged slightly. "Nah, I'll still pick fights with Gray, think we could work out a schedule to divide the time evenly between the two?"

She sighed. "Oh hush and go to sleep."

He smiled and rested his head against the top of hers. "Goodnight, Lucy."


	2. Nalu: First Child

Natsu flinched and chewed at his bottom lip as more screams sounded from behind the door, he clenched and unclenched his fist as he paced back and forth frantically.

"Geez, would ya stop it? You're making me sick pacing around like that." Gray said, crossing his arms as he slouched in a chair.

"Baby…baby…baby…" Natsu muttered, that seeming to be the only word capable of coming out of his mouth at the moment.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lucy is having a baby, _your_ baby."

"My baby."

"Yes, your first child, this is a good thing, flame brain."

Natsu stopped, turned to look at Gray, eyes impossibly wide, expression somehow panicked and blank at the same time. "Baby."

Gray sighed and stood up. "You should be in there with her."

Natsu's eyes widened even further. "Wh-what?"

Gray placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Listen, I know what you're going through right now. When Juvia and I had Sterling, I was a mess. It's pretty terrifying, right?"

Natsu nodded dumbly.

"Right, but it's also exciting. So pull yourself together, go in there, hold your wife's hand, and be there when your baby is born."

Natsu straightened up, took a deep breath, and then flashed Gray a grin. "Thanks."

Gray nodded. "Now get in there, dad."

Natsu grinned giddily and walked into the room. The smile quickly left his face however as another ear splitting scream slammed against his eardrums. He panicked, and was about to bolt out of the room when Lucy spotted him, her skin was slick with sweat, her hair clinging to her face and neck from it, eyes wide in pain. "Natsu!"

That's all it took, he was at her side in an instant, answering her desperate plea for him. "I'm here, Luce. Here, take my hand." He bit back a curse as she seized his hand, nearly crushing it.

"I-I'm scared Natsu…" She whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He pressed his forehead against her temple and put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm here with you Lucy, there's nothing to be scared of."

She inhaled shakily and then nodded, pulling strength from her friend, partner, and husband. "Right…I can do this."

The doctor smiled and raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Ready? It's time to push."

Natsu climbed onto the bed behind her, pulling her back against him, he held onto both of her hands tightly and kissed her ear. "I love you."

She clung to his hands for dear life, pressing back against him as her contractions grew worse and worse. She was sure her screams were going to make him go deaf, but there was nothing she could do to stop them.

He stayed with her through it all, whispering words of encouragement the whole time.

Finally she gave one final scream, and fell limply into his arms. He kissed her cheek, smiling proudly. "You did great, Lucy."

She smiled weakly. Then her eyes flew open, and both of their attention was drawn to the doctor, who was holding a squirming bundle in her arms. She beamed and walked over to them.

"Congratulations, meet your daughter."

Lucy accepted the bundle, all the pain and suffering worth it as she looked down at her first child.

"L-look, Natsu…it's our daughter." She said, tears spilling onto her cheeks as she gently ran her finger down the baby's soft cheek. She had soft golden hair like her mother, the tiny locks curling slightly. Yawning widely, she squirmed and then opened her eyes, revealing small pupils dark like her father.

"She…she's beautiful." Natsu said in an awed voice, his eyes shining as he stared down at her. "Just like her mom."

Lucy smiled and held the baby out to him. "Here."

Natsu looked panicked, backing away quickly. "Wh-what? I can't hold her."

Lucy laughed. "Why not? She is your daughter after all."

Natsu shook his head. "I can't…I-I'll break her."

Lucy grabbed his hand, and slowly pulled him back before placing the baby into his arms. "You're not going to break her."

Natsu stared down at the baby in his arms, slowly relaxing as he cradled her tiny body. "Hey there, I'm your papa."

The baby stared up at him with wide eyes, and then grabbed onto his finger. Letting out a few baby noises when she did.

Natsu laughed. "Picking a fight already? You're awfully strong, little one, aren't you?" He looked up at Lucy, eyes shining. "We have a daughter, Lucy."

She smiled at his joy. "Yes we do. What are we going to name her?"

Natsu grinned. "Let's call her, Nashi."

"Nashi…" Lucy said slowly, testing the name. "I love it."

Natsu sat on the bed beside Lucy and they held their first child together, reveling in the joy of being parents. Natsu turned Lucy's head and placed a kiss against her lips. "We're awesome."

Lucy laughed as the door opened, and several curious heads poked in. Noticing them, she motioned for them to come in. "Come meet, Nashi everyone."


	3. GrayxCana: A First Time for Everything

Guest: Please do a Gray and Cana when they were kids like they're first kiss mission first drink together when they first met please."

**_Here you go! A GrayxCana one shot about when they were kids, and I actually kind of love the idea that they maybe had a little thing when they were young, so thanks anon for requesting it!_**

There's a First Time for Everything:

"Gray! Your clothes."

He yelped and scrambled to gather up the scattered items, his cheeks tinging pink at being caught stripping by Cana again. He'd only been part of Fairy Tail for a few months, and somehow it was always _her_ who pointed out his lack of clothing.

It was embarrassing, but he couldn't help his weird habit. He just wished the pretty brunette would stop catching him at it, just let someone, _anyone_ else point it out for once. Heck, even that lame fire breather, Natsu would be better.

"Uh, sorry…" He muttered as he pulled his black T-shirt on over his head.

Cana shrugged, flipping a couple of cards on the table. "Whatever. Why do you strip, anyway?"

He blushed. "Um…my teacher taught me to be one with the cold so I could use my ice make magic better, we used to train in our underwear in the snow. Ever since then I have the habit of taking my clothes off."

"Well that's silly, so you don't even know when you're stripping?"

He shook his head, still blushing furiously. This was the most he'd ever talked with her.

"Well I guess I can't blame you for it then." She swept all her cards into a single pile with one swift motion and then turned to smile at him. "So you use ice make magic? Can you show me?"

He looked surprised. "Uh…sure." He placed his fist into his palm, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then cupped his hands together and slowly pulled one away, revealing a delicate snowflake made of sparkling ice.

Cana's eyes lit up, and she hopped down from her seat to take a closer look. "Oh, wow! It's so pretty!"

Gray smiled at the compliment. "This is nothing, you should see me fight!"

Cana giggled. "What are you talking about? I see you fight with Natsu practically every day."

His cheeks turned pink again. "O-oh…I didn't think you payed any attention."

She winked at him. "I know more about what goes on around here than most people, my card magic helps too." She suddenly lit up. "Hey, how would you like to go on a job with me?"

His eyes widened. "M-me?"

She nodded. "Sure! It could be fun!"

"B-but…I've never teamed up with anyone before…"

She shrugged. "Neither have I! Come on, please?" She bat her long eyelashes and opened her eyes wide in a puppy like expression.

Gray glanced away, feeling flustered. "Uh…okay, sure."

She beamed. "Great! I'll meet you here tomorrow to pick one out, see you then!" With that, she skipped off, leaving Gray behind to wonder what he got himself into.

***The Next Day***

"Thanks a lot, kids! You do your guild proud!"

Cana and Gray smiled as they accepted the reward from the man whose request they had taken.

"Our pleasure, thanks!" Cana said cheerfully as they turned and started to make their way back toward the guild.

"That was awesome!" Gray said enthusiastically.

Cana nodded. "Yeah it was. Hey, I've got an idea."

Gray turned and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Oh yeah? What?"

She held up the bag of money and grinned mischievously. "Let's celebrate!"

Just minutes later they were sitting inside the nearest tavern with plates of food in front of them. Gray dug in right away, having worked up a big appetite from the work they'd done earlier.

Cana ate just as ravenously as he had, and then grinned as the server set two giant tankards down on their table.

Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that…alcohol?"

Cana's eyes glinted as she nodded and dragged her tankard closer. "Yep."

"A-aren't we a little young for that?"

Cana shot him a reproving look. "Oh come on, we just did a job on our own! Besides, we aren't _that _young, what's another seven years or so?" And with that she tipped the tankard up and took a long drink.

Gray stared skeptically at his own, then glanced at her as she set hers down. "Ah, that's good."

Finally, he gave in and hesitantly reached for his tankard. The alcohol tasted _gross_ and it was _really_ strong. He spluttered and set the tankard down.

Cana laughed as she sipped from hers again. "Have another go, it gets better the more you have."

Gray wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Uh…no thanks, I think I'll wait until I'm older."

Cana shrugged and grabbed Gray's drink, pouring it into her own.

He was impressed when she managed to stomach all of it, but unfortunately even though she'd managed to drink it all, didn't mean her petite frame could handle all that alcohol and suddenly he found himself having to deal with a _very_ drunk, Cana.

"Wee! The sky is spinning!" She shouted, twirling around as she stared at the stars.

Gray shook his head and followed after her. "Geez, I shouldn't have let you drink all that." He looked around at where they'd ended up, a grassy hill covered in flowers that overlooked Magnolia. "We should probably head back to the guild soon…its getting dark."

Cana giggled and flopped back onto the hill, throwing her arms up to the sky, she mumbled happily. "Look, Gray, the stars are dancing!" She started humming and weaving her fingers through the air as if following an invisible dance.

He sat down next to her and rested his chin on his hand. "I guess we can sit here and rest for a few minutes."

Cana sat up and poked his shoulder, snickering. "You lost your clothes again."

He yelped and looked around for his shirt. Finally spotting it in Cana's hand, a mischievous light in her eyes.

"Cana, give me my shirt back!"

She shook her head, batting her eyes coyly at him. "Mmm, nope!"

He reached for the shirt but she pulled her hand away, giggling.

"Come on, Cana! Give it back!"

She shook her head, wrinkling her nose at him playfully. "You're going to have to take it!"

He gasped and pointed behind her, eyes wide. "What's that?!"

She spun around, looking frantically for whatever he'd seen. "What? Where?"

He snatched the shirt back with a triumphant laugh. "Haha! Got it!" He pulled it on and straightened it out. "Now, we should probably head back to the guild…" He trailed off as he turned to look at her and saw she had tears in her eyes. "Uh…Cana?"

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling her knees up to rest under her chin. "Meanie." She pouted.

"Hey! You were the one who wouldn't give my shirt back!" He said defensively.

"I was only playing around…"

He frowned slightly, scooting slightly closer to her. "So…what's wrong?"

She shrugged.

"Come on, you can tell me. We're friends, right?"

She glanced over at him, then turned to face him. "You're awfully cute you know."

His eyes widened in surprise as his cheeks burned. "Wh-what?"

She smiled. "I've thought so since you joined the guild, I was also glad you joined since there's not that many people my age in Fairytail."

Gray was a little dumbstruck, the most he managed to say being, "Uh…"

She wiped her eyes and shrugged. "I love Fairytail, but it's even nicer now that more kids are joining." She smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad you're here now."

Then she leaned forward and planted a quick kiss against his lips.

Gray's face turned bright red. He'd never been kissed before, well his mom used to kiss his cheek, but he'd never had a girl kiss him on the lips before.

She giggled when she pulled away, and tapped the end of his nose with her finger. "You're redder than a tomato, that your first kiss?"

He nodded dumbly.

"Mine too…guess it's not so bad, huh?"

He shook his head. "Uh…no, it was nice."

She beamed, then straightened up. "Come on, we should head back home."

He stood up as well, and then caught her as she suddenly swayed and almost fell over.

"Uh…you might have to help me walk."

He rolled his eyes and draped her arm around his shoulder. "Geez, I'm never letting you drink again."

She grinned and ruffled his hair. "Just try and stop me."


	4. Gajeel: A Bit Rusty

"Uh, uh."

Juvia widened her eyes and clasped her hands tighter in front of her chest, sticking her bottom lip out as she aimed every last bit of her begging skills at her friend. "Pleeeaaase, Gajeel? Juvia hasn't had a date with Gray-sama since baby Serena was born." She whimpered imploringly. "We haven't had time alone in _so long!"_

He shook his head firmly, arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. "No way in _hell,_ woman! Why'd you even ask _me?_ Hell I'd almost rather trust the salamander with babysitting."

Juvia looked crestfallen. "Juvia has already asked Lucy, but her and Natsu are out on a mission, Mira-Jane has her own babies to look after and everyone else is busy." She teared up and began to wail. "There is no one else to watch baby Serena! Gajeel was Juvia's last hope, now Juvia will never get alone time with Gray-sama!"

Gajeel shifted uncomfortably, glancing away from the weepy woman. "Aw geez, shut off the water works, will ya, Rain woman?"

Juvia sniffled, trying to stem the tears by rubbing at her eyes, but this did little to lessen the flow of tears. "J-Juvia c-can't help-help it!"

Gajeel sighed heavily and dragged a metal studded hand down his face. "I'd help you out, Juvia, I really would, but my baby skills are a bit rusty…as in non existent."

"It would only be for a few hours! Baby Serena would sleep most of the time, oh _please!_"

Gajeel let out another heavy sigh. "I'm gonna regret this…fine! I'll do it." The air left his lungs in a _whoosh_ as Juvia grabbed him in a surprisingly powerful embrace.

"Thank you, Gajeel! Juvia won't ever forget this!" She cried, elated.

He tried to pry her off, grumbling irritably. "Will ya get off me? You'll make me rust."

She released him and hopped back, clapping her hands excitedly. "Come to Juvia and Gray-sama's house at six."

Gajeel put his hands in his pockets and glanced away indifferently. "Sure."

"Juvia is so happy!"

He fended off another attack hug. "Oi! Get going will ya? Don't you have to get ready for tonight or somethin'?"

She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes widened. "Oh yes! Juvia must get ready!" She dashed off, calling over her shoulder. "Six tonight, don't forget!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and headed further into the guild hall. "Too bad, Shrimp doesn't get back until late tonight…I bet she'd be great with kids. Ah well, there's no avoiding it now, better just hope for the best."

***Six o'clock that night***

"And baby Serena's bottle is in the fridge, just heat it up a little before feeding it to her, and if she starts crying she likes to be rocked and sung to. Oh! And the extra diapers are in this cabinet, and the wipes are in the bathroom if she needs to be changed."

Gajeel's eyes widened. "Oi, I didn't sign up for no diaper changing…"

But Juvia was too busy rattling off all of Serena's favorite toys to listen. "And if nothing else works she likes to be wet so you can sprinkle a little water on her head, or put her feet in a little water, or-"

Gajeel put his hand on her shoulder, cutting her off. "I think I got it."

Gray walked into the room, shrugging on a coat as he said. "Hey, Juvia, what time's the babysitter suppose to ge-" He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Gajeel. "Uh…Juvia?"

"Yes, Gray my darling?"

"What is Gajeel doing here?"

Gajeel crossed his arms and snorted. "I'm watching your kid while you're out."

Juvia beamed, clasping her hands together tightly. "Isn't it wonderful, Gray-sama? Baby Serena will get to spend time with her Uncle Gajeel!"

"I'm not exactly her uncle." "He's not exactly her uncle." Gray and Gajeel said at the same time.

Juvia waved her hands dismissively. "Gajeel is baby Serena's honorary uncle!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I hope you don't expect me to go around calling her my family or anything."

Gray raised one eyebrow slightly, looking thoroughly unimpressed with Juvia's choice of babysitter. "Why'd you ask Gajeel anyway? I'd almost rather have Natsu watching Rena."

Gajeel nodded toward Juvia. "That's what I told her, but apparently Salamander's out with the cheerleader on a mission, and everyone else was busy so…"

Juvia faced Gray, lower lip pouting slightly as she said. "Gajeel will take good care of baby Serena, and if Juvia hadn't asked him, Juvia and Gray wouldn't be getting this special night out…alone." She added, eyelids batting suggestively.

Gray swallowed and glanced between her and Gajeel before letting out a sigh. "I suppose it's alright…but if _anything_ happens to her…"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and shooed them toward the door. "I'll keep a close eye on her, alright? Just go so you can get back."

Juvia bounced over to him and placed a quick kiss against his cheek. "Thank you, Gajeel!" Then she bounded over to Gray and hooked her arm in his before they exited the house.

Gajeel grumbled and wiped away the wet spot her lips left on his cheek. "Geez, this is the last time I let her rope me into doing something so moronic." He glanced toward the door to the nursery. "At least the kid's sleeping for now, maybe I'll get lucky and she won't-"

He was interrupted by a sudden wail from behind the door, and for maybe the first time in his life, Gajeel felt icy cold fear slide down his spine.

Hesitantly, he inched his way to the door and slowly slid the door open. Poking his head through, he let his eyes rove around the soft blue nursery before landing on the cradle against the far wall, from which the wails were coming from.

He scoffed and swung the door open, muttering to himself. "Damn, come on Gajeel, you scared of a little helpless baby now?" Shaking his head, he strode into the room and marched over to the cradle.

However, once he stood over the cradle, towering over it with his arms crossed, staring down at the tiny inhabitant, his resolve began to falter.

Her tiny hands were curled into fists as she wailed, eyes shut tight, delicate features scrunched up in distress. Her dainty lips were parted wide, revealing a bright pink tongue and toothless gums.

Dark, midnight blue hair clung to her head and framed her face in soft little curls.

She was _so freaking small! _How could something so miniscule make so much damn noise?

"Oi." Gajeel said gruffly, glaring down at the screaming infant.

At the sound of his deep voice, she immediately stopped crying and opened her eyes, turning her head to gaze at him with a pair of dark irises inherited from her father.

Gajeel was expecting her to burst into tears again at the sight of him, but instead she just laid there and stared up at him, large eyes wide and curious.

He stared back, one studded brow cocking up in a stern frown. "What're you lookin' at?"

She sniffled, and her eyes slowly filled with tears, her lower lip sticking out in an all-too-familiar looking pout.

"Aw dam- dang it…" He muttered, hesitantly reaching into the cradle and lifting her into the air. He held her gingerly at arms length, staring uncomfortably at her. "Ya done wailin' now? I get enough a that from your ma."

Tiny tears rolled down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a heartbreaking cry.

Gajeel grimaced, a panicking feeling causing him to shift on his feet. "Oi! I don't like this anymore than ya do, so stop cryin' will ya?" He said gruffly, uncomfortably staring at the weeping infant.

His words did little to comfort the distraught child, and she continued to wail dejectedly.

He made a distressed growling sound in the back of his throat, looking around the room desperately for a solution to the screaming baby. Suddenly, he remembered seeing how Laxus held one of his brats in the guild hall, and after a moment's hesitation shifted Serena until she was cradled in the crook of his right arm.

She gradually began to settle down and after a few awkward rocks of his arm, she finally stopped crying and turned her teary-eyed gaze to his face.

He raised an eyebrow. "All done now?"

She sniffled, rubbed at her eyes and then let out a little huff.

Gajeel grunted gruffly. "Good."

Suddenly, her eyes landed on the metal studs on his arms, and she let out a delighted squeal, reaching for the nearest one, tiny fingers scrabbling around the shiny object.

Gajeel smirked. "Pretty cool, huh?"

She gurgled in agreement, happily entertained by the bright studs. After a little while, she began to yawn, but seemed reluctant to actually drift off to sleep.

Gajeel absentmindedly rocked her up and down, thinking back to what Juvia had been rattling on about. "Your ma mentioned ya like to be sung to, eh?" He began to hum, the deep baritone rumbling in his chest soon had Serena rubbing at her eyes and yawning.

He began to sing in a low, hushed tone, watching as her eyelids sank lower and lower until they were closed completely, her breathing evening out into deep little sighs.

Gingerly, he stepped over to the cradle and gently lowered her inside. He had never walked so softly in his life as he painstakingly snuck out of the room, easing the door shut behind him, wincing as the latch clicked, afraid it would wake her. But no sound came from within, so he walked over to the couch and flopped down onto the cushions.

"Who knew babysitting could be so stressful?" He muttered, laying an arm over his eyes, smirking as he remembered how fascinated she had been with his metal studs.

He jerked upright at the sound of a frantic wail, realizing that he must have dozed off as he jumped up and bolted to the nursery.

Quickly scooping the tiny infant into his arms, he attempted to sooth her. "Oi, what's your problem this time? Want me to sing some more?"

She calmed when he began to sing, but every time he stopped, she began to wail again. As much as he loved singing- especially to an audience that wasn't able to throw tomatoes at him- his throat was beginning to grow hoarse, and he knew he couldn't sing indefinitely. He needed a better solution.

He paused in his singing and tried to remember all the stuff Juvia told him helped calm Serena down. But it was a little hard to concentrate when she was screaming in his ear.

"Quiet down, will ya? I'm tryin' to remember what your ma said but it's a little hard with you squackin' like that." It came back to him the instant her little tears dropped onto his arm. "Water, that's right!"

He hurried into the bathroom and filled the sink around halfway with warm water. "Hang on, there we go." He muttered, shifted her so that he could gently lower her feet into the water, sitting her down on the edge of the sink he supported her, smirking when she stopped crying the instant her feet touched the water. "Better?"

She squealed and kicked her feet in the water, splashing water everywhere.

"Oi! Watch it there, you'll get me all wet." He grumbled, brushing the water droplets off his chest.

Serena giggled and reached down to dip her hands into the water as well, splashing a surprising amount into Gajeel's face, causing his hair to fall down and stick to his skin.

"Oi!" He said, gripping the back of her small dress to hold her with one hand while using the other to brush the hair out of his face.

Suddenly tiny hands were clutching his hair, and she let out a squeal as she pulled at the dark locks, giggling at his grunt of discomfort.

"Hey, watch it, that hu- ouch! Stop! Yow!" He tried to release his hair from her hands, muttering under his breath. "Those tiny fingers are like dam- dang vises!"

He finally managed to free his hair- losing several strands in the process- and straightened up, glaring down at the mischievous little infant. "Oi, don't go tryin' that again."

She clapped her hands together and let out a string of incoherent baby sounds.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, I don't speak baby, I'll bring salamander around next time to translate." He snickered at his own joke, pleased when Serena giggled along with him. "Guess you get your humor from your dad if you think makin' fun of the flame idiot's funny."

She cooed in agreement and continued to happily splash in the water.

After a little while, Gajeel drained the sink and dried her tiny feet off before moving into the kitchen, heating her bottle up and feeding it to her, laughing when she drank the whole thing down speedily, her tiny lips making hungry slurping sounds.

Once she was finished with the bottle, she yawned sleepily and began to nod off in his arms.

He sat on the couch and hummed to her until she fell asleep, happily clutching one of his fingers in her tiny hand.

Gray and Juvia returned home not much later, Juvia gushing about how wonderful a time they had, and praising Gajeel on how well he'd watched Serena. She relieved him of the child and swept her off to get her changed and settled into bed.

"Thanks...for watching her I mean, it was good to get some time alone with Juvia." Gray said, clapping Gajeel on the back.

Gajeel grunted, crossing his arms nonchalantly. "It wasn't so bad when she wasn't screaming."

Gray grinned. "Yeah, babies tend to do that. But man...it's worth it." He smiled fondly and looked toward the nursery door.

Gajeel glanced that way too, feeling a lightness in his chest when he remembered how she'd snuggled closer to him while sleeping.

"I should go...Levy'll be back soon." He muttered.

Gray nodded. "Alright, thanks again."

Gajeel shrugged and walked out the door, calling over his shoulder. "Don't go expecting me to do this every time now."

Levy let out a heavy sigh as she closed the door behind her, glad to finally be home. That archiving job was a lot tougher than she had originally thought, and the fact that it was in another town meant she had to spend half the reward money on hotel rent. Ah well, she still had some money left over, and was content to finally be home.

The peace didn't last long though, she had barely set her keys and bag down before the door to the bedroom slammed open.

She whirled around, eyes turning from shock to joy when she saw Gajeel striding toward her. "Gajeel! You startled-" The rest of her sentence was cut off as he swept her into his arms and planted his mouth firmly against hers.

Levy recovered from her shock quickly, running her fingers through his dark hair as she tilted her head and stretched up on tiptoe to gain better access to his lips.

He finally pulled away, and she giggled. "Well hello to you too."

"Let's have a baby."

She choked on the words she'd been about to say next. Eyes widening as she stammered. "Wh-what? I- we- but…"

He had a fierce determination in his eyes as he continued, not seeming to notice her shock. "It's gotta be a boy to...yeah, so he can protect her."

Levy shook her head slightly, trying to sort her thoughts out. "A-a baby? And who do you mean by "her"?"

Gajeel raised his eyebrows slightly. "My neice of course."

Levy stared at him. "You have siblings? How come you've never told me?"

He scoffed. "Course I don't have siblings, I'm talking about Gray and Juvia's kid."

Levy's face lit up in understanding. "Oh...are you Serena's honorary uncle?"

Gajeel's eyes shone proudly as he nodded. "Yep. So...whaddaya say? Wanna start a family with me?" He had grown suddenly quiet, almost timid.

Levy smiled and stretched up on her toes again, planting a kiss against his lips before saying. "Yes, I'd love to start a family with you, Gajeel."

She squealed when he grinned and swept her off his feet, tossing her over his shoulder as he turned and headed for the bedroom.

She clung to her broad shoulder as she giggled. "I didn't mean right this instant you big metal brute!"

"Gihi!"


End file.
